Space 9: Secret of the Prohibited Area

A pitch black area in the northern lake. A huge lobster with red eyes was staring at Ark.

-???? –

Type: ??? Danger: ???

Combat Power: ???

You are unable to identify the object.

That was the information window that appeared when he used Clairvoyance. But the name and information only had ‘???’ This meant the life form wasn’t registered with the federation’s database. If he reported it then he could receive experience and fame. However now wasn’t the time to rejoice. The lobster had appeared in the place where the octopuses disappeared.

‘Does that mean all the octopuses were swallowed by this guy?’

It was natural to reach such a conclusion. In other words, this incident had nothing to do with Charem.

‘Dammit, is this also a miss?’

He had dived 50 metres for nothing. But it wasn’t completely useless. At least he found the source of the octopuses’ disappearance. He received the Charenjok’s token upgrade as a prepayment so he should catch the lobster. The lobster also had no intention of letting Ark leave politely. It separated the water and rushed towards him.

‘…… Fast!’

The speed was difficult to imagine considering the lobster’s large size. He quickly grabbed his sword but the lobster’s pincers were too fast.

Syu syu syu syu! Kung!

There was a dull ring as the dust rose.

‘Ugh! My movements are too dull underwater.’

He had tried to avoid it but the pincer grazed his side and his health was sucked out. Ark had the body coating but the lobster was an underwater life form. The movement speed couldn’t help being different. The most difficult problem was the buoyancy. Unless he placed stones to weigh down his feet, it was impossible for his body to move without bouncing upwards.

‘That’s the problem!’

Falalalalak!

Ark opened his mouth and shouted. He was saying Armour Armament! In reality the smart phone wouldn’t recognize his pronunciation and work problem but the advanced equipment of the 24th century was different. It even worked when he was just saying speech bubbles! His bag opened and the Elephant fish appeared.

…..Well the speech recognition technology of the 24th century wasn’t that perfect.

Kukung! Kukung! Kukung!

The lobster’s attacks continued while Ark was trying to do this. The lobster’s attack speed gave Ark no time to breathe. Furthermore the buoyancy made it difficult for Ark to stay attached to the ground.

‘Eat this!’

He grabbed the Elephant fish that appeared from his bag and threw it towards the lobster.

Saktok!

The Elephant fish flew across the distance and the lobster’s pincer cut it in half. Meanwhile Ark quickly expanded the distance and manipulated his Nymphe. He opened to the main menu and clicked the armour icon. A flash of light appeared around Ark’s body. The space warped and armour like objects appeared. It moved like a living creature to wrap around Ark’s body. His limbs, chest and his head were covered with a crustacean like carapace. A red light appeared as the helmet finished covering his face. It was Ark’s battle suit Hyper Drone! He had manually summoned the battle suit. The battle suit caused Ark’s stats to rise by 30%. However that wasn’t why the desperate Ark had taken out the battle suit.

Kukung!

‘That’s it! My feet touched the ground!’

The battle suit was heavy! The weight caused Ark’s floating body to sink.

‘Bring it on lobster! I’ll turn you into barbeque and eat you!’

The situation changed 180 degrees once Ark wore the battle suit and his feet touched the ground.

Syu syu syu syu! Kakak! Chwiiiii! Tu tu tu tung!

There were continuous roaring sounds and dust shot up while Ark and the huge lobster collided. In fact Ark had a lot of experience when underwater fighting. He had fought a large number of enemies underwater in New World. Although that was when he had equipment that nullified the underwater penalty by 100%. But Ark wasn’t just a master of fighting underwater because of his equipment. He had gained a number of ingredients from the ocean floor and underwater skills. He had no equipment that nullified the underwater penalty by 100%! Galaxian’s combat system was also completely different from New World! The experience from that time was still imprinted in his body.
This experience was Ark’s strongest weapon. That experience showed during his battle against the lobster. Ark’s feet touched the ground thanks to the battle suit but he still couldn’t move freely. So almost all the attacks were from the lobster’s side. But Ark blocked most of the attacks with his sword and used the chance to counterattack. Of course his movements were slow so he couldn’t block every attack…..

-The Mind Shield has been activated.

<A shield with 230 durability has been generated around the body. The shield will reduce all damage by 40~60% until the durability falls to 0.

In addition, the effect of Backstab or Sudden Blow will be nullified by 100%>

A blue sphere wrapped around Ark’s body! The Mind Shield decreased all attacks by 40~60%. And the durability of this Mind Shield was 230! It was higher than when he hunted in the forest due to all his practice. Ark’s ability to concentrate in a crisis situation was clearly shown.

‘But……’

There was something strange. In theory it should be an overwhelming victory for Ark. In reality it was different. Out of 10 attacks he blocked 6~7 of them. The damage was reduced by a considerable part. The remaining 3~4 attacks were reduced by 40~60% due to the Mind Shield. On the other hand, Ark’s attacks hit 9 times out of 10. Yet Ark was the one being pushed back as his attacks didn’t do that much damage. The difference gradually started to show. However, the lobster wasn’t a particularly high level. Clairvoyance showed that the lobster was only level 70. That was only a 3 level difference with Ark. Ark also had high stats thanks to the 30% increase of his battle suit.

‘Why can’t I damage it properly? Why?’

Ark discovered the reason as the battle continued. He deflected the pincer and struck a blow to the lobster’s chest. The lobster stumbled back and opened its mouth. Ark looked inside the mouth and his face stiffened.

‘T-that is…..’

Tutung!

Ark felt a sudden pain and he flew back several metres. This was due to the Water Pressure Gun shot from the lobster’s mouth. But Ark wasn’t surprised because of the lobster’s new attack. It was what he saw in the mouth before the Water Pressure Gun was fired.

‘Machine! A machine was used to fire the Water Pressure Gun!’

A lobster had appeared in the bottom of the lake. Naturally Ark assumed that it was a monster. Yet now there was a machine in its mouth! In other words, this is a mechanical creature. An android!
Why was there an android in the bottom of the lake? And why was it camouflaged as a lobster? Ark didn’t know the reason but he realized why he couldn’t do that much damage. If a sword was used to attack mechanical creatures then a significant penalty would be attached. Right now Ark was using the Impact Blade. It was a weapon with high damage. However, the damage of the sword was only shown 100% when dealing with living organisms. No matter how rare the sword was, it couldn’t exert maximum damage against a mechanical creature.

‘Yes, this is the reason for the question marks when looking at the information! It is natural that I can’t find biological information when it is a mechanical creature. It is natural for a sword to not damage iron.’

All his questions were answered. And he also found ways to cope with this problem.

Tutung! Tutung! Tutung!

Ark operated his Nymphe while avoiding the Water Pressure Gun and opened his bag. Impact Blade was sucked back into the bag and automatically stored. At the same time, the right and left side of his bag opened and 2 weapons shot out. It was the Modified Alloy Dagger and Fading Steel-II!

‘It is different if my partner is an android!’

Ark smiled as he grabbed the dagger and Fading Steel. He had to use bullets to damage an android.
Of course Impact Blade also had a gun attached. The attack damage was 20~25. Fading Steel only did 15~20 damage so Impact Blade was stronger. However the gun attached to Impact Blade had a fatal weakness. It was the mistake he made when fighting the Bellos. Impact Blade only had 4 bullets! The most dangerous time when using a gun was when reloading. Having 4 bullets meant he had to reload more frequently so he was exposed to more danger. Moreover, Impact Blade could only load one bullet at a time in the cylinder. The gun feature of Impact Blade wasn’t an excellent secondary instrument but the gun couldn’t be made as a main weapon. On the other hand, Fading Steel had 12 ammunition! Moreover, the reload time was a lot shorter.

‘This will make up for the insufficient damage!’

Ark grabbed a magazine that came out of Fading Steel. Once again, Galaxian had special bullets with special effects. Among them were two types of special bullets effective against androids!

-Shock Bullet -I

Attack: Firearm Damage +5 (Additional Shock Attribute)

A bullet developed by Hell Lion, one of the 4 big companies. A shock bullet developed by Hell Lion that gives off a high voltage electric current when it hits. This current has a particularly strong effect on energy shield. In addition, the electromagnetic current can cause the same effects as stiffness to androids.

<3% chance of discharging electricity, 5 seconds rigid effect>

-Armour Piercing Bullet-I

Attack: Firearm Damage + 8 (Metal only)

A special bullet especially developed by the galactic federation for use against heavy armoured enemies. The head rotates like a drill to pierce through iron armour. This will have no effect against general creatures and shields but it is a powerful attack against androids.

<Additional 8 damage will be given when penetrating metal armour>

They were Shock Bullets and Armour Piercing Bullets. The Shock Bullet was useful against the android’s shield. The lobster was an android but it had no shield. That’s why Ark never imagined that it was a machine. And if he used the Shock Bullet in a place like this then there was a chance that Ark could also be hit by the electrical shock.

‘Then it must be this method!’

Therefore Ark selected the Armour Piercing Bullet! It was a bullet that dealt 8 extra damage when attacking metal armour.

Cheolkeok!

Ark ran around avoiding the Water Pressure Gun and finally finished changing the weapon and magazine. This meant Fading Steel’s damage with the Armour Piercing Bullets loaded was 15~20 +8! It was transformed into a weapon with higher damage then the Impact Blade.

‘Now let’s start attacking properly!’

Then the pincer of the lobster descended onto his head again. But Ark no longer ran away. There was no reason for him to flee. Ark lifted the Modified Alloy Dagger and blocked the lobster’s pincer. Then the opposite pincer flew towards him. But Ark no longer had just one weapon. Just before the pincer was about to hit his side, he blocked it with his gun and fired.

‘An appetizer. I’m going to eat you!’

Tung-! Tung-! Tung-!

The sound of a gun being fired was heard. The attack damage of the gun had no choice but to fall due to the resistance in the water. But Ark’s marksmanship was different. After several desperate attempts, he discover that he had no talent in shooting and learnt Close Marksmanship! This meant there was no penalty applied to his marksmanship. Blocking enemy attacks with the dagger and then shooting was Ark’s original fighting style against the Nakuma.

Kikikiki! Kikikiki!

The lobster opened its mouth once both pincers were blocked. The lobster had 3 ways of attacking thanks to the Water Pressure Gun. However, Ark also had 3 weapons instead of just 2.

‘Ha! You want to open your mouth right in front of me?’

Ark’s foot parted the water as it shot up vertically. Ark’s battle suit clad feet hit the lobster’s jaw and pushed its head upwards. He pressed the muzzle against the jaw and pulled the trigger.

Tung-! Tung-! Tung-!

-Headshot!

<You have inflicted a serious blow and the enemy will receive additional 150% damage>

A headshot had occurred! The lobster’s health fell thanks to the Armour Piercing Bullet.

‘Yes, this is more like it.’

Damage started to appear once he changed weapons. The battle completely followed Ark’s pace after that. He blocked the lobster’s pincer with his dagger and….Tung! Tung! Tung! He kicked the jaw when it tried to use Water Pressure Gun…..Tung! Tung! Tung! He changed the magazine and…..Tung! Tung! Tung! The lobster’s health nosedived like the price drop of the Taek Mountains by the storm of attacks.

‘Ah, damn! I’m feeling angry again!’

The memory caused anger to well up inside him while he kept on shooting. After 3 minutes of frantically firing.

Kikikiki…..Kikikiki…..

The lobster’s movements increasingly slowed down and finally stopped moving.

‘Pant pant pant, phew! It became easier thanks to the Armour Piercing Bullets……’

Ark panted roughly as he looked at the metal shell. He still had doubts about why an android was hiding in the bottom of the lake. An android wouldn’t be in a place like this for no reason. It was also strange if the lobster was the reason for the octopuses disappearance. An android couldn’t eat octopuses so their corpses should still be near here.

‘What is the reason? Who put the lobster at the location where the octopuses disappeared? Damn, I’m back to the start again. Anyway, I’ll examine this guy for the moment. A clue might appear.’

Ark approached the wreckage with the idea of searching it.

Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku!

All of a sudden the floor started shaking. The sediment accumulated on the floor rose like a cloud of dust.

‘W-what is this? Huk, that is…..’

Ark raised his head and stiffened. A huge object was soaring up from the lake bed. Ark stared at the object and say 10 lobsters.

A frustrated sigh emerged from the blond youth’s mouth. Once again, he had started Galaxian to meet Ark. That was all. He had no interest in anything other than that. That’s why he deliberately started that incident in Nephalim. But the government thought he was part of the Tree of Life organization and was tortured. It was good up to there. He was willing to go through that process if it meant meeting Ark. So I endured it.

……Yet it was useless. The disputed planet he was sent to was Hanan. It was a planet dozens of light years away from Beltana. He had only entered the game to meet one person. Why was it so difficult? Fortunately the life of a prisoner on Hanan wasn’t that harsh. It was because of what happened on Istana.

-The prisoner Ark who became Beltana’s Hero has returned!

-The hero Ark visited each city and talked about the troubles that prisoners faced on Beltana. Therefore questions about the prisoner’s human rights have surfaced again.

–There are rumours that federation officers used the plight of the prisoners to received bribes…..

–The federation’s Secretary of Defense has ordered that the treatment of the troops be improved!

Ark had gone around various cities and given interviews. Thanks to him the treatment of prisoners had improved! The prisoners on disputed planets were now provided with 1 free food a day.

……Of course he wasn’t happy at all. However the blond youth was glad to hear the news. Thanks to Ark going around the cities and promoting the galactic federation, the public opinion against the war was reduced. This was a great opportunity for the galactic federation! The galactic federation could reinforce their military budget thanks to the improved opinion and could now support more troops on the battlefield. 50% of the troops were dispatched to the right place! Hanan in the Bellin constellation was the battlefield that was fought over the hardest. 5 tanks, 30 combat androids and hundreds of troops were sent there. The numbers were sufficient to change the war situation. Luck followed from there. By the time reinforcements arrived, the Hanan garrison had acquired the GPS information of the Rama’s main base. The commander of the Hanan garrison was excited by the good luck that kept on coming.

“Now is the time to show the power of the federation! Advance!”

And ordered an assault towards the enemy lines. The blond youth was excited.

‘If the federation wins in this attack then I can return to Istana!’

“But……”

The blond youth looked around with a dark look. Smoke bombs were covering Hanan so he could only see 10 metres around him. But that was enough to confirm the military situation. 8 out of 10 bodies belonged to the galactic federation.

‘We were tricked. The GPS information form the Rama’s scouting unit was just bait!’

The Hanan federation army was attacked by the Rama’s main forces while they were marching. The result was clearly seen through the corpses of the federation soldiers. They suffered a crushing defeat!

‘But even so……’

It wasn’t that easy to defeat the federation soldiers with a surprise attack. He had a lot of experience with online games before Galaxian. He had led a lot of subordinates and won many battles in New World. Therefore he knew. A surprise attack wasn’t always profitable. All the variables had to be considered and the soldiers had to be able to handle the situation flexibly for it to have a tactical effect. And looking at the Rama’s surprise attack……

‘Perfect! There are no gaps at all!’

The Rama’s surprise attack had no gaps. Even with the reinforcements, the federation army was overwhelmed.

‘But I can’t fall in a place like this! This is a chance to raise my achievements quickly! If I hesitate then it will be more difficult to meet Ark in the Outlands!’

Kakakaka! Kakakarak!

While the blond youth was thinking. The dust blurred and he could see some Carack. The blond youth’s hand movements quickened.

Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!

On R-14 the blond youth couldn’t move his body properly. On R-14 and Nephalim, he diligently practiced and now his hand techniques were more agile than most users. It was hard to imagine that the blond youth had grown up in a rich environment. He fired his gun and the bullets accurately hit the Carack’s leg joints. The blond youth then narrowed the distance and hacked at the Carack with his sword. In only 1 minute! The 3 Carack couldn’t attack and collapsed.

‘It is useless no matter how many Carack I destroy. I should join the main army!’

He looked around and was about to move a step. Then a shadow shot out from the dust. He knew just by the silhouette. The opponent was a Rama warrior! The hand of the blond youth once again moved.

Ting-! Ting-! Ting-!

However the bullets bounced off the opponent’s shield. The blond youth felt despair as he saw the features of his rival. In fact, he knew the person who commanded the Rama’s surprise attack. It wasn’t just him. All the soldiers on Hanan knew his identity. It was the Rama warrior that pushed the federation soldiers to despair during the many months fighting on the Bellin constellation! The nickname showed the overwhelming power……

‘The Red Slaughterer!’

The Rama warrior received that nickname due to the blood red battle suit he used!

It wasn’t just the sound of bubbles rising. Ark’s shoulder shook as he gasped.

‘Dammit, why are these lobsters……’

Ark breathed roughly and looked around. Sediment was scattered around him but he could see through it with Clairvoyance. And the red light opposite him could be clearly seen. 10 minutes before a group of android lobsters had appeared from the bottom of the lake.

‘It is impossible!’

Facing 1 wasn’t a problem as he already proved. But that changed when he was facing 10. It was impossible with his level to take care of each one. If all 10 attacked together then his chances of victory was 0.1%. And Ark’s expectations proved correct. He became tattered after encountering the lobsters for 10 minutes.

Bbok! Bbok! Bbok! Bbok!

-You have recovered 2 health.

-You have recovered 2 health…..

Ark was still alive thanks to the battle suit. And he diligently attached the Charenjok’s token to him.
If it wasn’t for the battle suit and the Charenjok’s token then he would already be a bloody rice cake. No, now he only had 8% health left. The lobsters were also really quick so he couldn’t run away either. But Ark believed something.

‘I can’t die like this!’

Ark took out his trump card. It was the STK-VII grenade with destructive power! He shed tears as he threw the remaining STK-VII towards the lobsters. However…..

‘I’m screwed!’

The lobsters only had their health reduced by 50%. He understood why the moment the STK-VII exploded. The problem was that Ark was fighting in a place 50 metres deep. Just like the power of the bullets were deduced by the water resistance, the same thing applied to the STK-VII. The STK-VII was used in vain. The tattered Ark had to clench his teeth and keep on fighting.

‘But! But I can’t just die like this!’

The odds weren’t in his favour. However he couldn’t just give up. If he gave up here then the results of the past 10 days would fly away. He would be resurrected back in Nabe and he didn’t have any STK-VII left.

‘Don’t make me laugh! All the levels that I gained!’

Ark glared at the lobsters. The last STK-VII was a dud. But that didn’t mean it was ineffective. The lobsters had lost 50% of their health. Therefore Ark attacked the lobsters until they had 20% health left.

‘There is only one way out! This is an opportunity! I can use 18 Barrage to escape from their siege.’ He would be affected by the buoyancy as soon as the battle suit was stripped off so he needed to escape as quickly as possible. If he reached the surface and got on the air board then he could escape them. This is the only way! Concentrate Ark! Let’s go!’

Ark prepared himself and was about to rush forward.

Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku!

The ground started shaking again and a roaring sound was heard.

‘Heok! W-what is this? Don’t tell me another lobster is appearing?’

Ark turned around with apprehension. Something unthinkable occurred. Until now the ground vibrated every time a lobster climbed out. But this time the lobster hid back underneath the ground?

‘What, what the? This is? They’re acting scared……’

Ark asked with a befuddled look.

Kuwaaaaaaaah!

A huge vortex started swirling in the water. The words of Bakum, the Charenjok elder appeared in his head.

‘Yes, that’s it! This is the whirlpool that Bakum mentioned would sometimes appear in the prohibited area. I don’t understand but the lobster knew this vortex was happening and hid in the ground. It is a great opportunity for me to get away! I can run away while these guys are hiding…..run away…..eh…..eh?’

Ark finally realized an important fact. Once again the size of the lobster was 5 metres. They were more than twice Ark’s size. Moreover, their true identity was an android. The interior of the lobster was filled with metal parts. If placed on a scale then the lobster would probably weigh hundreds of kilograms. Despite weighing hundreds of kilograms, the lobsters had hid in the ground to escape from the vortex. However, Ark was much lighter than them! Ark was caught by the swirl of water. He couldn’t do anything once he was caught. No matter how much he struggled, he just spun around like a cockroach caught in a toilet bowl. Ark realized some strange points while facing motion sickness. An ordinary vortex would normally be shaped like a pyramid. But the one Ark was caught in was different. It was a big circle focused on a particular spot. To his surprise, the centre of the vortex was……

‘W-what is that? A black ball? No, a hole? Why is there suddenly a hole in the lake?’

A huge black hole opened in the centre of the vortex. Ark and the lake’s water was being sucked into the hole at an incredible speed. No, it wasn’t just Ark. This was probably why he couldn’t find the bodies of the octopuses. And why none of them ever came back.

‘It can’t be! This can’t be!’

Ark struggled with a desperate feeling but it was impossible like he expected! Ark was drawn into the black hole. And……

“Heok! What the? What? What the?”

Ark looked around and screamed. He had just been drawn into the black hole thanks to the momentum of the water. And he rose to the surface of the water. However, the place that his eyes saw wasn’t the large northern lake. It was a pipe with extravagant size…..no, a pipe! Surprisingly it was a pipe dozens of metres long. Ark was dragged along the pipe by the current of water.

“What on earth is going on?” Where is this place? Why am I here?”

Ark was in a state of panic and turned his head like crazy. Suddenly he saw a dark object in the direction he was headed towards. It was an iron net. He didn’t know where this was but he could determine the purpose of the net right away. It was a net meant to catch fish. The purpose of the net was to filter the fish from the water. He didn’t know where this was! But he knew what would happen! If he was caught in the net then it wouldn’t be a good thing.

‘I have to pay attention! This isn’t the time to be discouraged!’

Ark took a deep breath and looked at the quickly approaching net. The moment the net approached!

“18 Barrage!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

At the same time, steam emerged from the shoulders of his battle suit. His arms moved like motors were attached to it and hit the metal net. One hit! Two hit! Three hits! Four hits! The top of the net was bombarded with his fists.

-The mana of the Hyper Drone has been exhausted.

<Hyper Drone will be recalled to its dimension and it can’t be summoned for another 10 hours>

The battle suit was recalled the moment he ripped a hole in the net.

“That’s it! I’ve escaped from the net!”

Ark cried out as he burst through the hole. But his cheer changed into a scream after 20 seconds.

Dudududu! Dudududu! Dudududu!

On the opposite side of the net was a propeller rotating at a quick speed. If he touched the propeller then he would be cut to pieces. Ahead of him a small Mouse fish had passed through the net and disappeared without a trace thanks to the propeller.

‘N-no! This can’t happen!’

Ark frantically looked around. His Clairvoyance skill allowed him to see in the darkness and he saw a ladder near the propeller. The ladder went to the upper portion of the pipe!

“That’s it! Wire Camera!”

Ark attached the Wire Camera to his Nymphe and threw it towards the ladder. If it was connected to his Nymphe then it would move in the direction he desired. Ark manipulated the Nymphe and the wire wound around the ladder. He pulled the wire and managed to grab the ladder.

“Pant pant pant! I’m alive!”

Ark climbed up a few metres and looked down. Thanks to the hole in the net, the Elephant fish was also sucked towards the propeller. And…..it was gone without a trace. Ark would’ve also been like that if it wasn’t for the Wire Camera. But it was still too early to be relieved. He still didn’t know where this place was.

“Anyway I need to climb out of this pipe and check.”

He raised his head and saw a manhole cover near the end of the ladder attached to the pipe wall.
He climbed up the ladder and pushed it but it was locked. But the manhole wasn’t just locked with a simple key. It was the future and all locks were electronic.

“I’m thankful for this.”

He connected his Nymphe and a message popped up.

-This door is protected with a security device.

Enter the security code or use Invaders to hack and release the lock.

Attempt to hack? Y/N

His 4 star rated skill Hacking! Furthermore, this looked like a sewage treatment plant so the lock shouldn’t be that complicated. When he attempted hacking, the game to release the lock was Tetris.

-The current lock accessed is ‘Tetris: Level 1.’

The bricks falling from above are the lock’s intrusion prevention programs. Remove all the hacking prevention programs to release the lock.

Please don’t hesitate. If you can’t release this type of lock then you’re not worthy to be called a hacker!

It was only a level 1 lock. The Tetris with an easy difficulty was quickly destroyed! But Ark didn’t lift the lid and exit yet. He said it a few times but Ark still didn’t know where this was. Therefore he didn’t know what was beyond the manhole cover. He couldn’t relax until he registered with the Fairy. His mistake was blindly entering the prohibited area. He had to be careful if he didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes. Ark lifted the lid slightly and pushed the Wire Camera through. He had bought the Wire Camera for a use like this. It wasn’t a fishing rod or an escape rope! Anyway……

‘There seems to be no one around.’

A 1 metre pipe was shown on the screen of the Nymphe. Once Ark confirmed that no one was around, Ark lifted the manhole cover and climbed into the pipe. He skillfully scanned around with the Wire Camera and moved easily through the pipe thanks to his experience as a pipe cleaner on R-14. After a short time Ark was able to find a light in the pipe. The pipe became wider as he approached the light.

‘That’s great. I’ve been wondering if the pipe led outside……’

Ark pushed the Wire Camera through a gap. Then a scene he never imagined showed up on Ark’s Nymphe.

“What, what the? This place is? Why is there a place like this outside?”

The reason he was surprised was because the camera showed a huge city. There was a huge variety of buildings, people and alien cities moving around the city! When he turned his camera to the other side, an even more amazing scene appeared. The city outside the manhole was covered by a huge sphere. And outside the sphere was the sky! The city was floating in the sky with clouds underneath it.

“P-Perhaps…..?”

Ark stuttered with surprise. The landscape on his Nymphe screen changed to an information window.

-You have found the hidden city ‘Charem!’

-City Information: Charem-

You heard from Marquis Martin that Charem was located near the northern lake of Istana. But even Marquis Martin doesn’t know a lot of information about Charem. As Charem is officially a lawless smuggling city so communication with anything outside the shield is difficult. Although the correct GPS information was determined, the most crucial unknown fact is that Charem is an aerial city floating in the sky.

All smuggling organizations associated with Charem have to sign a confidentiality agreement and only one person has permission to access it. Only a small percentage of people have discovered this hidden city so you will receive some adventure points.

* Adventure Points +200

The city that shone in Ark’s Nymphe. The smuggling city wrapped in a veil of mystery was Charem.

No it was just a hole sucking in water and fish from the lake.
I have no idea what’s going on either he goes from 50m below the lake to higher than the clouds. Was the ladder that long? I feel like the author would have mentioned it if Ark had to climb that high.